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Plank clocks

3 sets of reaches to 1, 3 and 5 o'clock per hand with a light band around both wrists, 1 min rest.

Slot
Strength
Focus
Stability
Time
5 min
Intensity
Moderate
Injury risk
Moderate
Intervals
3 rounds, 1:00 rest
Equipment
Resistance band, Floor space

How to do it

Loop a light resistance band around both wrists, just above the wrist bend. Get into a push-up position with your feet wide and one hand under the centre of your chest. With the other hand, reach out against the band to where 1 o'clock would be on a clock face, back to the start, then 3 o'clock, then 5 o'clock, keeping your hips still and the supporting wrist quiet. Keep going until the supporting arm starts to shake, then switch hands. That's one set; do 3 with a minute's rest. Start with the lightest band you have or you'll tip over. Every other day at most.

Who it’s for

Climbers whose wrists feel shaky on mantles, presses and palming moves, and anyone working on shoulder stability. Holding your weight on one hand while the other reaches against a band trains the wrist and shoulder to stay steady under load.

Common mistakes

  • Starting with a strong band. The lightest one you have, or you’ll tip over.
  • Hips moving with the reach. Keep them still. A wide stance with the feet helps.
  • Supporting hand drifting. It stays under the centre of your chest.
  • Pushing past the shake. When the supporting arm starts to shake, switch hands.
  • Training it every day. Every other day at most, so the wrist can recover.

How to progress

Reach a little further toward each point on the clock while keeping the supporting wrist quiet. When that’s easy, move up one band.

When it fits

The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.

  • Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.
  • Strength Stronger fingers and pulling, with weight you control.
  • Power Explosive moves, momentum and coordination.
  • Power Endurance Keep your power through one hard move after another.
  • Endurance Climb longer before you pump out, by moving efficiently.
  • Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.
  • Deload Train less, let your fingers recover, keep moving.

Start with a ready-made block

A six-week strength plan with a deload, as a file for the app, and seven short emails on how to run it.